Reusable personal-care kit

ABSTRACT

A reusable personal-care kit is provided that is compact, lightweight, organized, and restockable. A preferred embodiment of the reusable personal-care kit invention includes a cover, a foldable carrier forming a plurality of pouches capable of carrying personal-care products, with the carrier connected to the cover, and at least one personal-care product sachet removably held in at least one of the pouches.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates in general to personal-care kitsand more particularly to a portable lightweight kit for repeatedlycarrying mono-doses of consumer products such as cosmetics andtoiletries and other personal-care items.

BACKGROUND

[0002] In today's fast paced and mobile world, many people are oftenaway from home on a near daily basis and need personal-care productsavailable. Whether a person is at the gym, athletic club, spa, on a dayor weekend trip, or on a longer adventure, it is a common desire to havepersonal-care products readily at hand. It is also desired to reduce the“luggage” carried when away from home. It is further desired to carrythe personal-care products without leakage and in an organized mannerfor quick access.

[0003] Heretofore, these desires have not been satisfied except by themost prepared and organized of individuals. First, reduced sizedcontainers of personal-care products are often hard to locate. Second,resealable containers often leak, especially in air travel. Next, it isdifficult to maintain the varying size and type containers in anorganized and compact manner. Many of these reduced sized containers arenot transparent, and therefore may often result in the unpleasantoccasion of opening the container to find that there is no personal-careproduct contained. One common way to address the above desires has beento contain one's personal-care products in a rib and groove, resealableplastic bag. This method of storage and organization at least containsany leaked product within the sealed bag. However, the leaked materialalso coats all of the other items contained in the sealable bag.

[0004] Attempts to solve the above problems have been addressed withlimited and often relatively expensive results. Prior art solutionsinclude a booklet having a foldable interior section. Sections of thebooklet having a mono-dose packet of a personal-care product attached byan adhesive. These prior art booklets are not reusable, thus requiringthe purchase of a new booklet for each use even if all of the suppliedproduct has not been used. An additional drawback to these prior artbooklets is their limited use. For example, a booklet may only containfacial products and ignore hair care products. Additionally, these priorart devices cannot be personalized for each individual user.

[0005] It is thus a desire to provide a reusable personal-care kit thatovercomes the drawbacks previously described. It is a further desire toprovide a reusable personal-care kit that is compact, lightweight, andcan be individually personalized. It is a still further desire toprovide a reusable personal-care kit that includes pouches forrepeatedly holding personal-care sachets. It is a still further desireto provide a reusable personal-care kit that may carry non-sachetpersonal-care products.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] In view of the foregoing and other considerations, the presentinvention relates to travel kits.

[0007] It is a benefit of the present invention to provide a compact,lightweight, reusable personal-care kit.

[0008] It is a further benefit of the present invention to provide areusable personal-care kit that includes pouches for repeatedly carryingmono-dose personal-care product sachets.

[0009] It is a still further benefit of the present invention to providea reusable personal-care kit that can be individualized by a user.

[0010] Accordingly, a reusable personal-care kit is provided that iscompact, lightweight, organized, and restockable. The reusablepersonal-care kit preferably includes a cover, a foldable carrierforming a plurality of pouches capable of carrying personal-careproducts, with the carrier connected to the cover, and at least onepersonal-care product sachet removably held in at least one of thepouches.

[0011] The reusable personal-care kit may have various types ofpersonal-care product sachets contained in the various pouches of thecarrier. Each pouch may also contain one or more personal-care productsachets. Larger capacity reusable personal-care kits may also includelonger and/or additional carriers.

[0012] Personal-care sachets may be obtained in various manners fromvarious sources to restock the reusable personal-care kit with desiredpersonal-care products. It may be desired to obtain personal-caresachets from a dispenser that may be kept at home or the office forquick and easy restocking. An example of a dispenser that may beutilized is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,526.

[0013] The reusable personal-care kit may also be adapted for carryingnon-sachet personal-care products including nail files, nail clippers,combs, eyeliners, massacre, lip stick, calling cards, and other types ofemergency-use cards or membership cards. These non-sachet personal-careproducts may be held in the pouches of the carrier, or connected by anattachment mechanism to the cover. A preferred attachment mechanism isby cutting parallel, spaced lines along the cover to form a loop by onesection of the cover. Other mechanisms such as, but not limited to,elastic loops, pockets, and the like may be utilized.

[0014] It may also be desired to close the cover about the carrier toreduce the size of the personal-care kit. It may further be desired toclose the cover about the carrier to prevent any loose personal-careproducts, whether sachet or non-sachet, from being separated from thereusable personal-care kit. Various mechanisms for closing the coveraround the carrier may be utilized.

[0015] The reusable personal-care kit may also include other informationdisplayed in the form of indicia on the carrier or cover. The indiciamay include, but is not limited to, advertising, information aboutpersonal-care products, travel tips, time zone information, and travelphone numbers. The indicia may define spaces for filling in individualuser information.

[0016] The foregoing has outlined the features and technical advantagesof the present invention in order that the detailed description of theinvention which follows may be better understood. Additional featuresand advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which formthe subject of the claims of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The foregoing and other features and aspects of the presentinvention will be best understood with reference to the followingdetailed description of a specific embodiment of the invention, whenread in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0018]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of thereusable personal-care kit invention shown in an open position;

[0019]FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of thereusable personal-care kit invention shown in a closed position; and

[0020]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sachet dispenser of a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Refer now to the drawings wherein depicted elements are notnecessarily shown to scale, and like or similar elements are designatedby the same reference numeral throughout the several views.

[0022]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of thereusable personal-care kit of the present invention shown in an openposition, generally designated by the numeral 10. Reusable personal-carekit 10 includes a cover 12, a personal-care product carrier 14, andpersonal-care product sachets 22.

[0023] Cover 12 is desirably constructed in the form of a book coverhaving a spine 16 interconnecting a front board 18 and a back board 20.Cover 12 as shown is constructed of a plastic such as, but not limitedto, polypro polyvinyl chloride. However, cover 12 may be constructed ofother material including paper, card stock, fabric, and leathers.

[0024] Personal-care product carrier 14 includes a plurality of pouches24 adapted for reuseably carrying personal-care products, which aregenerally designated by the numeral 22. Pouches 24 are specificallyadapted for carrying at least one personal-care product sachet 22.Personal-care product sachets 22 are desirably mono-dose containers ofpersonal-care products such as, but not limited to, shampoo, hairconditioner, hair styling products, colognes, cleaning wipes, facialproducts, lotions, powder, and vitamins. Each sachet 22 is sealed toprevent leakage and preserve the contained product. Pouches 24 may alsohold other non-sachet personal-care products 22 a such as, but notlimited to, eye makeup, nail clippers, tweezers, nail files, varyingtypes of credit cards and prepaid cards, containers of vinegar, and thelike.

[0025] Personal-care product carrier 14 is an elongated member foldablein an accordion fashion along transverse sides 30 forming a plurality ofsections 26. In this detailed description, personal-care product carrier14 is constructed of a heavy paper material. However, other materials ofconstruction may be utilized. In a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, alternating sections 26 form pouches 24.

[0026] Carrier 14 is divided into multiple sections 26. In the preferredembodiment, carrier 14 is divided into six sections designated as 26 a,26 b, 26 c, 26 d, 26 e, and 26 f. Each of the sections is divided fromthe others by transverse side 30. Each transverse side 30 is also anaxis for folding carrier 14. For structural support in a preferredembodiment, pouches 24 are formed by alternating sections 26. In apreferred embodiment, the first section 26 a forms a pouch 24 and thedistal section 26 f, not directly connected to cover 12, does not form apouch 24.

[0027] A method of constructing a preferred embodiment of personal-careproduct carrier 14 includes the following steps: 1) folding an elongatedsheet of material along a longitudinal axis forming closed bottom side32, wherein the two edges 28 a of the material parallel to thelongitudinal axis are substantially aligned; 2) adhering sides 28perpendicular to bottom side 32 together; 3) dividing carrier 14 intoseveral substantially equal area sections by transverse sides 30; 4)folding carrier along transverse lines 30 to further define sections 26;and 5) cementing carrier 14 together in a manner such that alternatingsections 26 form pouches 24 that are substantially closed on threesides. In the preferred embodiment, six sections are formed-sections 26a, 26 b, 26 c, 26 d, 26 e, and 26 f. Section 26 a is an end sectionforming a pouch and directly connected to cover 12. Section 26 f is anend section distal from section 26 a, and is closed so as not to form apouch 24. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, sections 24 a, 24 c, and24 e form pouches 24, and sections 24 b, 24 d, and 24 f do not formpouches 24. The front 34 and back 36 of each section 26 may includeindicia 33, and possibly designs to provide information and aestheticvalue to reusable personal-care kit 10. Indicia 33 may includeinformation such as a description and recommended method of use ofpersonal-care products, product manufacturer information, advertisingmaterial, and spaces for an individual user to personalize personal-carekit 10 with desired information.

[0028] Personal-care product carrier 14 is connected to cover 12 in amanner to be folded and contained within cover 12 to a positionextending out from cover 12. As shown, personal-care product carrier 14is connected along a back side 36 of a section 26 a to back board cover20 by an adhesive. However, personal-care product carrier 14 may beconnected to cover 12 in other locations and in other manners. Forexample, personal-care product carrier 14 may be removably connected tocover 12. Additionally, it should be recognized that personal-careproduct carrier 14 may be oriented in a manner to be extendable fromcover 14 perpendicular to spine 16, as shown, or parallel to spine 16.

[0029] Cover 12 may also include a closing mechanism 38 to enclose thefolded personal-care product carrier 14 within cover 12 in a compactmanner. Closing mechanism 38, as shown, includes a tab 38 a extendingfrom a portion of cover 12 adapted for insertion into a slot 38 b formedon another portion of cover 12. Closing mechanism 38 may be formed innumerous alternative manners including, but not limited to, clasps,snaps, zippers, hook and loop, rib and groove, and ties.

[0030] Reusable personal-care kit 10 may be adapted to carry additionalnon-sachet personal-care products 22 a that are not contained in pouches24. FIG. 1 shows an eye liner 22 a held by an attachment mechanism 40,demonstrated by a loop, connected to cover back board 20 within cover12. In a preferred embodiment, attachment mechanism 40 is a loop formedby cutting parallel, spaced lines in cover 12. Personal-care product 22may include numerous types of non-sachet, personal-care products 22 a.Cover 12 may include attachment mechanisms 40 in various locationswithin cover 12 for additional storage of non-sachet personal-careproducts 22 a. Alternative attachment mechanisms 40 may be utilized.

[0031]FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of thereusable personal-care kit 10 invention shown in the closed position.Carrier 14 is folded and contains both personal-care sachets 22 andnon-sachet 22 a personal-care products disposed within pouches 24. Oneof the sealed foil personal-care sachets 22 includes a shampoo andanother one of the shown sachets 22 contains hair conditioner. Thenon-sachet personal-care product 22 a carried in a pouch 24 is apre-paid calling card.

[0032]FIG. 2 additionally shows two additional non-sachet personal-careproducts 22 a carried by cover 12. One of the cover carried non-sachetpersonal care products 22 a is a nail clipper that is connected to aninterior of back board cover 20. The other shown carried non-sachetpersonal-care product 22 a is eyeliner attached to spine 16 of cover 12.Each of the cover carried non-sachet personal-care products is removablyheld by attachment mechanism 40, which is shown as a loop formed bycutting parallel, spaced lines in cover 12. Attachment mechanism 40 mayinclude other means of attachment including, but not limited to, elasticband loops, pockets, and the like.

[0033] Reusable personal-care kit 10 is closed utilizing a closingmechanism 38. The closing mechanism 38 shown in FIG. 2 is that of FIG. 1utilizing a tab 38 b and a slot 38 a. It is reiterated that closingmechanism 38 may include numerous manners of securing cover 12 in aclosed relationship with carrier 14.

[0034] Reusable personal-care kit 10 may be continuously reused byreloading with personal-care products 22. Reusable personal-care kit 10may be continuously used with non-sachet personal-care products 22 asuch as nail clippers and the like, and/or restocked with sachets 22after each use. In furtherance of the convenience and ease of use, thereusable personal-care kit 10 may include a sachet dispenser.

[0035]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a sachetdispenser of the present invention, generally designated by the numeral42. Sachet dispenser 42 may contain individual sachets 22 for ejectionthrough slot 44. An individual may maintain one or more sachetdispensers 42, each containing a personal-care product sachet 22. Inthis manner, an individual can dispense one or more sachets 22 torestock pouches 24.

[0036] A manner of use of re-usable personal-care kit 10 is describedwith reference to FIGS. 1 through 3. A user obtains a reusablepersonal-care kit 10 containing a plurality of personal-care productsachets 22. Reusable personal-care kit 10 may be distributed as aconsumer product and/or as a promotional item. The user utilizes some orall of the pouches 24 to contain at least one sachet 22, and may includemore than one personal-care sachet 22 in a pouch 24. After each use, theuser may obtain additional personal-care sachets 22 from dispenser 42 orother source for restocking in pouches 24. Reusable personal-care kit 10may further include continuous use, non-sachet personal-care items 22 a.The present invention provides a compact, organized, reusable mechanismfor carrying personal-care items.

[0037] From the foregoing detailed description of specific embodimentsof the invention, it should be apparent that a reusable personal-carekit that is novel has been disclosed. Although specific embodiments ofthe invention have been disclosed herein in some detail, this has beendone solely for the purposes of describing various features and aspectsof the invention, and is not intended to be limiting with respect to thescope of the invention. It is contemplated that various substitutions,alterations, and/or modifications, including but not limited to thoseimplementation variations which may have been suggested herein, may bemade to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims which follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A reusable personal-care kit, the kit comprising:a cover; a foldable carrier forming a plurality of pouches capable ofcarrying personal-care products, the carrier connected to the cover; andat least one personal-care sachet removably held in at least one of thepouches.
 2. The kit of claim 1 further including a means for closing thecover around the folded carrier.
 3. The kit of claim 1 further includingmeans for attaching non-sachet personal-care products within the cover.4. The kit of claim 1 wherein the carrier further includes informationalindicia thereon.
 5. The kit of claim 2 further including means forattaching non-sachet personal-care products within the cover.
 6. The kitof claim 2 wherein the carrier further includes informational indiciathereon.
 7. The kit of claim 3 wherein the carrier further includesinformational indicia thereon.
 8. The kit of claim 5 wherein the carrierfurther includes informational indicia thereon.
 9. A reusablepersonal-care kit system, the system comprising: a cover; a foldablecarrier forming a plurality of pouches capable of carrying personal-careproducts, the carrier connected to the cover; at least one personal-caresachet removably held in at least one of the pouches; and a dispensercapable of storing personal-care product sachets.
 10. The kit of claim 9further including a means for closing the cover around the foldedcarrier.
 11. The kit of claim 9 further including means for attachingnon-sachet personal-care products within the cover.
 12. The kit of claim9 wherein the carrier further includes informational indicia thereon.13. The kit of claim 10 further including means for attaching non-sachetpersonal-care products within the cover.
 14. The kit of claim 10 whereinthe carrier further includes informational indicia thereon.
 15. The kitof claim 11 wherein the carrier further includes informational indiciathereon.
 16. The kit of claim 13 wherein the carrier further includesinformational indicia thereon.
 17. A method of carrying personal-careproducts, the method comprising the steps of: providing a reusablepersonal-care kit comprising: a cover; a foldable carrier forming aplurality of pouches capable of carrying personal-care products, thecarrier connected to the cover; and at least one personal-care sachetremovably held in at least one of the pouches; removing at least one ofthe personal-care sachets for use; and restocking the personal-care kitby inserting at least one replacement personal-care sachet in at leastone of the pouches.
 18. The method of claim 17 further including thestep of carrying at least one non-sachet personal-care product in thepersonal-care kit.
 19. The method of claim 17 wherein the restockingstep includes dispensing the replacement personal-care sachet from asachet dispenser.
 20. The method of claim 18 wherein the restocking stepincludes dispensing the replacement personal-care sachet from a sachetdispenser.